Folding-machine.



No. 833,236. PATENTI ID OCT. 16, 1906.

F. G. NIND.

' FOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION IILBD Mu 27,1906.

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No. 833,236. PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906. F. G. NIND.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED an 27, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FREDERICK G. NIND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,- ASSIGNOR TO NIND PAPER FOLDER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- RATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

To all whont it may concern:

Generally speaking, the machines shown in s 'that patent consisted, first, of a pair of coacting rollers against which a pile of sheets was held under suitable pressure and which by bearing upon the sheet next to them as they rotated caused the center of the sheet to be drawn into the bite of the rollers and folded transversely between them. The' sheet then passed into other portions of the mechanism by which it was given two folds at right angles to the first fold and finally delivered into a packing-box. The coacting folding-rollers which gave the first fold were made of a material which was adapted to engage a sheet of paper heldin contact with them and to engage it at all portions of their surface, and in order to prevent the second sheet being engaged before the first sheet had completely passed between the folding-rollers and to give a proper clearance between the successive sheets it was necessary to provide the machine with mechanism by which when the first sheet was engaged by the rollers the remainder of the pile of sheets was pushed away from the folding-rollers and then brought forward again into contact with said rollers at a proper time to insure the clearance of the first sheet before the second sheet was engaged.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a folding mechanism which shall do away with the mechanism for alternately moving the pile of sheets against and away from the'folding-rollers.

To that end my invention consists particularly and broadly in so constructing the coacting folding-rollers that only a portion of their surfacethat is to say, a relatively narrow longitudinal strip on their surface will engage the sheet of paper which lies next to them, the remainder of the surface of said folding-rollers being adapted to move over the sheet Without engaging it and thrusting it into the bite of the rollers until the longitudinal engaging strip'of the surface comes into contact with the sheet.- I therefore construct the folding-rollers of a material, preferably rubber, which is naturally adapted to engage and move into the bite of the rollers, as they rotate, a sheet of paper held against them and covering all of such surface, except a relatively narrow longitudinal strip thereof with a material, preferably shellac or some similar hard varnish, which will cause all of the surface of said rollers so treated to move with suflicient freedom over the surface of the sheet to prevent it engaging the same,

whereby as said rollers rotate the sheet in contact therewith will be engaged only as the uncovered strip upon each of the two rollers comes in contact with the sheet.

Another object of my invention is to improve said machines in sundry details hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of the end of the machine in which the folding-rollers are mounted, showing the method of driving the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the rollers, showing the longitudinal engaging strip on the surface thereof. Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views of the folding-rollers in which the engaging strip is indicated by a solid line and showing the engagement with the sheets in different positions.

Referring to the drawings, 6 indicates the framework of the machine, which is provided with side plates 7 and end plate 8 and with supporting-plates 9, mounted upon the feed end of the frame.

10 and 11 indicate coacting folding-rollers which are journaled in the plates 9. Upon the ends of the shaft carrying said rollers are secured intermeshing gears 12and 13, which are driven through an intermediate gear 14, which meshes with a gear 15, keyed or otherwise secured upon a shaft 16, which is journaled in the side plate 7. The shaft 16, as shown, is provided with a pulley 17, which may be rotated by hand or driven by power from any suitable source of supply or the gearing may be driven in any other wellknown and approved manner. The foldingrollers 10 and 11 rotate in opposite directions in the direction indicated by arrows on Figs. 1, 4, and 5 and are preferably composed of rubber or similar material and are adapted as they rotate to engage and draw into the bite of the rollers a sheet of paper held against them with suitable pressure. As is best shown, however, in Fig. 3, the surface of the folding-rollers 10 and 11 is covered with acoating of shellac or a similar hard varnish except a relatively narrow strip on said sur face extending longitudinally of the roller;

18 indicates the uncoated strip upon the surface of the rollers. The effect of coating the surface of the rollers except for the longitudinal strip is to make the surface of said folding-rollers so smooth that the surface so coated will not engage with the sheet of paper held against them as the rollers rotate, and such engagement and consequent movement of the paper into the bite of the foldingrolls will be effected only when by rotation of the rollers the uncoated strip 18 comes in contact with the sheet of paper, as hereinafter described.

19 indicates a follower which is provided with arms 20, projecting backward therefrom and which are adapted to slide in a suitable groove 21 in arms 22, secured. to the framework of the machine and projecting rearward therefrom. The follower 19 is provided with rods 23, which are suitably mounted in said follower and adjustable therein. The object of the rods 23 is to support a pile of sheets of paper laid thereon, substantially as is shown and described in the said Letters Patent to myself and said Frederick Julyan.

24 indicates hooks which are mounted in the ends of the arms 20. I

25 indicates spiral springs, one end of which is connected with a hook 24 and the forward end with the framework of the machine. The function of said springs is to draw the follower 19 forward toward the folding-rollers, moving, of course, with it the pile of sheets of paper standing directly on edge against said folding-rollers.

26 indicates a rod which is secured to the face of the follower toward the folding-rolls transversely thereof, and its function is to push forward the middle transverse line of the pile of sheets, giving them a slight bend toward the folding-rollers in the center. In this it is assisted by springs 27, which are mounted upon rods 28, secured to the framework of the machine. The springs 27 bear yieldingly upon the surface of the outermost pile of sheets and hold the pile against the follower 19. The pressure of the springs is so regulated as to hold the pile of sheets in place in the follower, but of course with not sufficient pressure to prevent the outermost sheet from being moved into the bite of the folding-rollers 10 and 11.

From the above description it will be seen that when a pile of sheets is upright on edge in the follower the pile will by the action of the springs 25 be held against the foldingrollers 10 and 11 with the central portion of the sheets parallel with the axes of the fold ing-rollers slightly projecting toward the bite of said folding-rollers, the springs 27 with a yielding pressure holding the sheets in place. The machine being set in motion and the folding-rollers moving in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows, as above set forth, the coated or non-engaging surface of the folding-rollers will move over the sheet of paper in contact with them without engaging or moving the same until in the rotation of the folding-rollers the uncoated or engaging surface 18 comes in contact with the sheet. In the diagrammatic view shown in Fig. 5 the engaging surface 18 of the two rollers is shown as just coming in contact with the sheet and about to begin moving the same. As the rollers continue their rotation the two engaging surfaces 18, engaging the outermost sheet of the pile, draw the central cross portion of the sheet into the bite of the folding-rollers by the rotation of which the sheet is folded once transversely.

The rollers are preferably constructed of such size that they will engage the sheet near the tail of the same as it is drawn between the folding-rollers 10 and 11 a second time, as is best shown in Fig. 4. As the tail of the sheet thus folded passes between the foldingrollers the next sheet is of course held against them; but, as is shown in diagrammatic View, Fig. 4, the engaging portions or strips of the folding-rollers will not at once come in contact with said sheet, and the said second sheet will not be moved until the uncoated por tions or engaging strips of the rollers 10 and 11 come in contact with it. This, it will be seen, enables the tail of the preceding sheet to move away from the rollers a suitable distance before the next sheet is engaged and thrust into the bite of the folding-rollers, thus affording a proper clearance of the sheet in the subsequent action of the machine. From this point the sheets are treated in exactly the same manner and by the same mechanism as is shown and described in the 47, secured to the frame of the machine and near said rollers 10 and 11. 29 3O 31 32 indicate rollers which are j ournaled, respectively, upon shafts 16 33 34 35 and which are driven in the manner shown and described in said application or in any other appropriate way. The rollers 29, 30, and 31 are of such a size as to project upward through the bedplate 28 through suitable openings provided therein. The roller 32 is beyond the end of the bed-plate 28 and projects slightly above the same. 36 indicates a spur-roller suitably driven and projecting upward in the suitable opening in the bed-plate 28, as shown and described in the said application. 37 indicates an upper plate carried by the framework of the machine above the bed-plate 28 with a suitable space between them. It is around the upper plate 37 that the second folds of the sheet are made. 38 indicates creaser-wheels which operate in suitable grooves on the roller 29 and operate to crease and mark out the second folds of the sheet. 39 40 indicate rollers mounted, respectively, upon spring-shafts 41 42 and which bear, respectively, against the rollers 30 31 through suitable openings in the upper plate 37. 43 indicates turning-plates whose function it is to turn over the sides of the once-folded circular upon the creaser 38 in the manner described in the said Letters Patent to myself and Frederick Julyan. 44 indicates a guideplate which is of substantially the shape shown in Fig. 1 and extends over the roller 32. Its function is to guide the end of the folded sheets down over the roller 32 into the packing-box 45. 46 indicates a rubber spurwheel which operates through a suitable slot in the plate 44 and is driven in any appropriate manner in the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 1, and its function is to push the upper ends of the sheets of paper as they drop into the packing-box 45 and clear them out of the way of the succeeding sheet. All of these portions of the machine beyond the folding-rollers 10 and 11 are the same and operate in the same way as is fully set forth and described in the said Letters Patent to myself and Frederick Julyan, and as they form no part of my present invention it is believed it is not necessary to describe them further here. To describe their operation generally, it is suflicient to say that the sheets of paper, having been given their first fold by the folding-rollers 10 and 11, are moved forward toward the bed-plate 28 and the plate 37 ,in which they are carried along by the conjoint operation of rollers 29 and creaser 38, rolls 30 and 31 and 39 and 40, spur-roller 36, and roll 32. The creasers 38 form parallel creases in the once-folded sheet at right angles to the first fold, and by means of the turning-plates 43 the edges of the sheet are folded upward in said creases and the folded portions brought together over one another at the end of the turning-plates, from which they pass thus thrice folded over the roller 32 and into the packing-box 45, where they are gathered together.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a folding-machine, a pair of coacting folding-rollers having a longitudinal strip on their respective surfaces and flush therewith, adapted to engage and draw into the bite of the rollers a sheet of .paper bearing against them, and having the rest of their respective surfaces ofv a material adapted to slip over the surface of the sheet of paper without engaging the same, substantially as described.

2. In a folding-machine, a pair of coactingv folding-rollers having a longitudinal strip on theirrespective surfaces and flush therewith, adapted to engage and draw into the bite of the rollers a sheet of paper bearing against them, and having the rest of their respective surfaces of a material adapted to slip over the surface of the sheet of paper without engaging the same, means for driving said rollers, and means for automatically pressing a pile of sheets of paper against said rollers, substantially as described.

3. In a folding-machine, a pair of coacting folding-rollers composed of a material adapted to engage and draw into the bite of the rollers a sheet of paper bearing against them and having all of their surfaces, except a longitudinal strip portion thereof, coated with a material adapted to prevent said coated portion from engaging with said sheet, substantially as described.

4. In a folding-machine, a roller composed of elastic material adapted to engage and move a sheet of paper bearing against it and having all of its surface, except a longitudinal-strip portion thereof, coated with a material adapted to slip over said sheet without engaging the same, substantially as described.

5. In a folding-machine, a rubber roller having all of its surface, except a relatively narrow longitudinal strip, coated with shellac, substantially as described.

6. In a folding-machine, a pair of coacting folding-rollers composed of rubber and having all of the surface of each, except a relatively narrow longitudinal engaging strip, coated with shellac, whereby when said rollers are rotated only said uncoated strip will engage and move into the bite of the rollers'a sheet of paperbearing against them, means for driving said rollers, and means for automatically pressing a sheet of paper against said rollers, substantially as described.

FREDERICK e. NIND.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, JOHN L. JAoKsoN. 

